Critical care medical teams

Our medical teams are led by a clinical governance team that is dedicated and experienced in managing critical and non-critical patients in the aviation and transport environment. The clinical governance team oversee every mission in real time and are available 24/7 for advice and assistance via state of the art communication technology.

All of our flight nurses have extensive experience in major Intensive Care units in New Zealand or Australia prior to commencing work with NZAAS. Our in-house training and orientation programme is tailored to fit individual needs and ensures that all of our critical care nurses are confident using their intensive care skills in the aviation environment prior to flying solo or leading a patient transport. All of our flight nurses are required to successfully complete the College of Air and Surface Transport nurses (NZ) retrieval course within their first year of commencement with NZAAS. As well as workshops and aviation specific training the course also includes Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) and survival training, it is well regarded in Australia and New Zealand. All of our flight nurses maintain CORE advanced resuscitation level qualifications.

Backed by years of combined expertise in the area we have developed in-house training that is relevant to our service and covers annual emergency procedure certification, human factors and crew resource management. Areas that are specific to the environment but that are often a new concept to medical staff or non aviation staff.

Our flight doctors all possess advanced airway skills and usually work in large intensive care, anaesthetic or Emergency departments alongside their work with NZAAS, all have an active interest in aviation medicine.

Our teams have specialised in making the near impossible possible, we transfer full intensive care patients worldwide using the Skyline jet fleet and also commercial aircraft. Using commercial aircraft means that most of the world is accessible to us, where this is not possible we can engage other certified global providers to arrange wing to wing transfers. You can be guaranteed that our teams will offer an honest assessment and appraisal of your situation.

Medical Equipment

We have a comprehensive range of patient monitoring and state-of-the-art life support equipment to provide optimal patient care. All of our equipment is certified for the aviation and transport environment. All equipment is serviced and calibrated annually or as per manufacturer guidelines.

Commercial Medical Escort Flights

For many commercial evacuations/repatriations it may be appropriate for a flight nurse only, or two flight nurses to accompany the patient, rather than a full ICU team of flight nurse and doctor.

Each request for a patient transfer will be reviewed individually and the most appropriate team and mode of transport will be determined through the review of medical notes and liaison with the medical staff in the treating facility.

NZAAS final acceptance of the mission is dependent on our Medical Director’s assessment of the clinical details and logistics involved.

Scope of work

Our dedicated mission coordination team work closely with our medical teams and pride themselves on working tirelessly to ensure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to some of the most complex repatriations and retrievals on the planet.